Angel Contacts: JitterBug Lens Cleaner

Hello all,

I'm currently freezing my butt off in front of the computer, as my place has been having heating problems.  That is why I haven't been posting as frequently; it's too cold to stay my room.

Anyway, I just wanted to share something I purchased recently: JitterBug Lens Cleaner.  I've been eyeing it for a while (i.e. 7 months) on the Angel Contacts website, but have been resisting because I kept telling myself that $21 is too much.  Then I saw that the website had a promo code going on for 5% off everything on the website and soooo.. I caved and ordered it.  I had a choice of the lens case, and chose the purple elephant -- so darn cute!

The ordering process was simple and quick; online ordering on October 29th, and it was shipped the next day.  I received it within three working days, on Monday November 4th.  I liked that the website provides a tracking number too.  Useful to appease the OCD like me ;)

Happy October 31st

Ah, it's that time of year again, where fireworks can be heard being set off every night since a week before. As my friend puts it, it's also the time to guess whether the noises are fireworks, or gunfire. I am not a fan of Halloween and all that is associated with it (except the candy, I guess -- but not from strangers!).  I usually hide out at home and watch cartoons.  So, I'll just fill this post of random stuff.

                                     

Poutine burger from Triple O's! I'm not a fan of burgers, but one bite of this was... amazing

Yu Xiang Yuan Restaurant 豫湘園

I love eating out with mom, because she knows good food places that I would have never found on my own.  The most recent one was a trip to Yu Xiang Yuan Restaurant.  Many people would probably just see the red "Handcrafted Noodle" sprawled across their banner.

Westham Island Herb Farm pumpkin patch

Ohohoho... I got the flu shot not so long ago, and now caught the cold.  So I'm staying home from work today.  Since my bed was getting pretty darn boring, I decided to type a new entry :)

Last Saturday the boyfriend and I drove down to Delta to visit the pumpkin farm.  We originally wanted to hit up Richmond farmer's market, since it's a lot closer, but apparently by the time we got there (~11am) the traffic was so bad that we went down a bit further to Westham Island Herb Farm.  We had to drive over this creepy old (but cool) bridge.

Review: Essie All In One 3-Way Glaze pt.2

So I said I would revisit this post after at least three days.  It has been four + a few hours.  To recap, I bought a new "three-in-one" Essie glaze that is used as a base coat, top coat, and on its own.
Its promise (as stated on package):

• stronger looking and feeling nails
• smoother nails instantly
• shiny glossy top coat that lasts for days

As I said before, my nails generally have no problem with breakage, as they're pretty strong, so I cannot comment on the first promise.  Having nail varnish on for the most part makes the nails feel stronger, anyway.  Yes, my nails instantly felt smoother after putting it on, however, it feels that way with any nail varnish I put on, so nothing special there.  The third point is probably the one of interest.   On the third day, I noticed the varnish starting to lift at the tips of my fingers.  I think one of them even lifted during my shower.  That creates this bulge at the tip, where the varnish seems to have lifted and bunched up together.  Also, the bottom part of the nails are starting to show due to varnish shrinkage. Not a pretty look.  I tolerated that, since my nail beds weren't significantly showing.  On the fourth day, bits of the varnish chipped off during shower time.

Free stuff :)

Have you heard of www.trybeforeyoubuysampler.ca?  You provide your mailing address and they send you samples of brands that are part of P&G (Procter & Gamble).  If you sign up for their newsletter, they will notify when samples are available :)

• 2 Sunlight triple clean - laundry single dose pacs
• 1 load Sunlight OXI Action cold water in icy splash - 56 ml detergent + $2 off coupon
• 1 load Snuggle exhilarations in wild orchid & vanilla kiss - 30 ml fabric softener
• 1 sample sized Dove Men +care aqua impact anti-perspirant - 17g
• 2 pieces of Ice Breakers FROST peppermints
• 1 packet Tetley 100% Steamed green tea ginger + $0.75 off coupon
• 1 coupon for a FREE full size Catelli Gluten Free pasta (exp. Dec 31, 2013)
  

Broadway Seafood & Sushi

My co-worker and I wanted a change of scenery for lunch, so we hopped onto the 99 B-line from UBC and got off at Macdonald St to see what's around.  We spotted Broadway Sushi, a hole-in-the-wall type restaurant, and saw that the prices were pretty darn cheap, so we decided to revisit that next time.

That next time was just last week.  They have a 5% off your order if you call in an hour early for pick-up.  We called at 11:45am for 1:00pm pick-up, and ordered Combo 1 and Spicy Combo.  Combo 1 included: a Rainbow roll (described as a California roll with tuna, salmon and shrimp on top), a House roll (think California roll with egg and salmon), and a miso soup.  The Spicy Combo included: spicy salmon roll, spicy tuna roll, spicy scallop roll, and miso soup. This is the first time I've seen "fillers" (i.e. cucumber) in a scallop roll.

Combo 1

Review: Essie All In One 3-Way Glaze pt.1

I was browsing at Shoppers Drug Mart at UBC when I happened upon a deal the store had on Essie varnishes - $7.99 CAD.  The deal lasts from October 19 - 25th, if anyone's interested.  I believe Essie polishes range from $12-14 CAD in stores when no deals are on, so $7.99 is a pretty good deal. Otherwise, I wouldn't normally buy any nail varnish that is over $5.
Anyway, I picked up Essie's All In One 3-Way Glaze, which can be used as a base coat, top coat, or on its on.  The packaging states that this base coat and top coat helps strengthen and leaves nails with a high-gloss finish. My nails generally have no problem with breakage, so I wouldn't be able to say how it works with strengthening nails.  However, nail varnishes rarely last more than four days without chipping.  Actually, after the four days, the whole layer of varnish would peel off.  Does anyone else experience that?  Once I peeled one off and showed a friend.  She freaked out cuz she thought my entire nail came off ^^;; I'm wondering whether that's the base coat problem, or a problem of my nails not liking varnishes...

Review: Dermal Green Tea; My Beauty Diary Bird's Nest face masks

I spotted some Dermal collagen essence masks on sale for 2 for $1.00 CAD at our local Japanese convenient store Konbiniya. So I picked up a few to try:

• Red ginseng: mild; firming; refining
• Snail: regeneration; moisturizing; nutrition (sounds a bit gross, right? extracts from snail slime...)
• Pearl: moisturizng; convergence; brightening

Dermal Green Tea Collagen Essence Mask
Claims: firming; moisturizing; health
Leave on for 15-20 minutes

It contains Green Tea extract which restores your sensitive skin caused by ultraviolet rays effectively and it keeps skin clean and smooth.
Vitamin E and collage - it provides your tired skin nutrition and makes your skin healthy and bright.

30-session Exercise Pass - Team Fitness TF360/Total body workout

After the yoga, my sister and I signed up for Crossfit for beginners at Tactix Gym.  Unfortunately, we were 3 minutes late, and we had to sign a waiver form.  The ladies told us to come back again through wellnessliving.com.  After that, the crossfit beginner's session never showed up on the website.  So sad...

Finally caved, and decided to venture out farther... in North Van - Team Fitness Vancouver (TFV). The TF 360 was sectioned under bootcamp.  My sister and I pictured running through tires and crawling in the mud in an obstacle course of some sort.  It did not take long to find the place; 7-minute bus ride from Lonsdale Quay.   TFV was a pretty small gym (compared to the Steve Nash gyms downtown), however it houses quite a variety of gym equipment, and the trainers make full use of the space, even the staircases.  It has a very clean bathroom and shower (<- very important ;) )

30-session Exercise Pass - Yoga

It started with my sister coercing me to join her in her journey into a healthier lifestyle.  Just kidding.  The fact that she brought up the topic of buying the Groupon was a miracle.  She isn't what I would call an active person.  She used to take hip hop in school, but nowadays, the closest thing to exercising that she does is Just Dance on the Wii. Mmmhmm.  So anyway, there was a Groupon for a 30-session pass at various gyms for $20.  It expires in 4 months.  I only agreed because the participating gyms were mostly fairly close to home, including one that was a block away.  So I bought one for both of us.

How it works is that I search for and book sessions in advance on www.wellnessliving.com, and I get a confirmation e-mail which I show at the gym. It turns out, the one that was a block away closed down for unknown reasons. Dang. I tried going to a 1.5 hour yoga session Vinyasa Power Flow Yoga at Yoga At Mainspace a couple of weeks ago.  I have tried Bikram yoga before, and did not like it.  I've tried beginner's yoga and I fell asleep during it.  I thought I would try it once more.  The place seemed like a converted condo space.  The instructor was a nice man, who claimed that yoga was his hobby and passion, not a job.  There was a lot of talking about spirituality which I did not care for, however, the poses were pretty challenging, which I liked.  Stayed 20 minutes past the 1.5 hour mark listening to more spiritual stuff.  I could see that the guy had passion in what he does, but it was way too intense for one who paid money just to increase her chances of being alive for a few more years.

Man, all the interesting sessions occur during work hours... Gonna try bootcamp next I guess...

First time making homemade pho

So for Thanksgiving, I decided to try to do the cooking.  Last year I did the turkey thing, and then we had turkey everything for the next four weeks.  I guess we just don't eat a lot. This year, I decided to make homemade pho from scratch.  The recipe is not that difficult, however, it is very time-consuming.  As it was my first time, I spent a lot of time adding things to adjust the taste.

What I used for the stock:

• 2 lbs beef bones
• 2 lbs ox tail

Final update on Yes to Blueberries Line Reducing Lip Treatment

Remember this post? It's been nearly a month of trying out the lip balm. I tried really hard to use it up since I do not like wasting things, but this stick had to go.  When freshly applied, the lip balm's smooth consistency and sweet, fruity scent entices one to keep reapplying.  However, over time the lips get drier and drier, peeling, flaking, and burning.  Religiously applying Vaseline every night to the chapped lips was what saved them.  If you plan to try this lip balm out anyway... well best of luck to you.  After this, I'm not sure if I want to venture out to try new products haha...

A MUCH better lip balm that is super moisturizing is the Jack Black Lip Balm.  The one I am currently using is the Grapefruit & Ginger scent.

First time river fishing!

Sooo I decided to take the day off from work to go fishing with my friend and her friend!  She said we would be out from 6AM to 6PM cuz driving to the place takes a long time.  10:45PM the night before, she walked me through the process of getting the fishing license and salmon stamp.  It's quick and easy, she said.  I didn't sleep til midnight.  However, I managed to rip myself off the bed at 5:30AM to get ready.  She ended up getting here around 6:30AM, and so we got to the river at 7:45AM and by then, lots of people were already there, in the water, in their waders. They're the funny-looking waterproof overalls, not the birds.  I wish I had one, but I don't know if I will pursue this hobby seriously enough to fork over $150+ for one so that I can wade in the water.  But then... I could do all sorts of things in the water with one of those suckers on 8D  We'll see.

Being a Vancouverite

Howdy :) If you're from Vancouver, I'm pretty sure you've seen this already. However, just in case you haven't, just wanted to share this. If you're not from Vancouver, this video sums up most of it.
 

 Go check out Farrah's channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyE9xqyH7LcnDrmWnS2B-Hw if you wanna see more of the cutie shown in the above video (:  I'm quite proud of her!

On a completely different note, loooook at what my sister made!!!

Major Sailor Moon fan. Who's excited for the remake? Stop postponing it, Takeuchi-san  :(

Skin care haul: Asian face masks, mostly

Hello, how are you~~

I feel like it has been a very exhausting week, but nothing productive (go figure).  Been lacking sleep x_x

My friend recently came back from Hong Kong, and she picked up a few things for me! I'm so blessed (:  I mainly asked for face masks, because it is a lot less expensive getting it in Asia.  Also asked for Laneige Water Sleeping Pack, and a Sunplay Super Block sunblock (not shown in picture).

• Bird's Nest: Ultra whitening, nourishing, revitalizing ads
• Black Pearl: whitening, nourishing
• Natto: moisturizing, tightening

I have gone through the Black Pearl one, and tried Bulgarian White Rose (hydrating, whitening), as well as Beautymate's Anti-Blemish Reparing masks.  Both My Beauty Dairy and Beautymate face masks each come with a plastic mask folded in with the masks themselves, for easier unfolding.

Bird's Nest; Bulgarian White Rose; Black Pearl; Laneige Water Sleeping Pack; Natto; Aloe

Kuma Japanese Restaurant

So my PI took us workmates to lunch, as two of our team members are leaving (or rather, graduated).  He picked out Kuma Japanese Restaurant, which is located at Dunbar & W18th Ave, across from the BC Liquor, if anyone knows the area.  We even got a ride in his fancy VW convertible there; my first time in one ever!  Let's just say that the ride was too short.  Anyway, I digress.

Our PI said that the place recently changed management.  As this was my first time there, I would not be able to compare.  Upon walking into the place, I noticed the woody theme that a lot of authentic Japanese restaurants seem to adopt; the tables, chairs, and even the plaque that menus were on were wood. Cultural artifacts were hanging around the place, such as wooden slippers (geta) and koi fish flags.  The servers wore an olive green wrap of some sort... some variation of a yukata? Ours pulled the order sheet from the folds. Very interesting.  There was a cute sign that says "Taste of Osaka" (rom. Oosaka no aji?) hanging by the teppan.

Review: Yes to Blueberries Line Reducing Lip Treatment (7 days)

    I've introduced this product in my previous post, but I will quickly describe it again.  I picked this up at Shoppers Drug Mart.  According to the box, this product is supposed to reduce the look of fine lines around lips in 7 days.  Also, I am supposed to apply it on and around the lips.  After one day of use, I have noticed that the area around my lips started to get itchy (allergic reaction?), prompting me to scratch, and then it becomes more red.... just a really bad cycle.  However, I chose to do something not so smart i.e. continued to use it ^_^

Aritzia Warehouse Sale

If you're in the Vancouver, Canada area, you've probably heard of the Aritzia Warehouse Sale (especially if a person who lives under a rock like me, did).  I believe it started on Tuesday, August 27th and lasted for a week.  I usually do not shop at Aritzia, as I find the price tags there to be way over my budget for clothes. On the Saturday, I decided to check out the place.  My sister wouldn't go with me because she hates line ups.  When I got there at 2 pm, I just waltzed right in.  I guess all the good stuff's gone now that it's the fifth day now.  I picked out two items, both white.

Dillema white Terry L Whisper hoodie in S: marked down from $65.00 to $29.99. I like that the front doesn't zip all the way up to my neck so that it becomes restricting.  I don't know what to think of the cinching at the bust area... it doesn't do much for me :p

Update! Summer ending...

Hello~

I am so horrible at keeping blogs.  Just wanted to update this thing.  It'll be a random 

This summer has been pretty eventful for me.  I also managed to stay within budget ^^V  Some highlights:

• Tried west African food for the first time
•  My boyfriend's coworker misses home so our church small group decided to hunt for a restaurant that served west African food and treat him. There were two to choose from (that came up on Google search) that were in the Vancouver area: African Delight, and Taste of Africa.  We checked out African Delight first, which looked like a restaurant and said it opens at 1:30 pm that day... but it was 2:00 pm and not a soul was in sight.  We then wandered to Taste of Africa.  It was a very small place, with a cafeteria-style dining area, and grocery items for sale.  Both places did not have cassava leaves, which was our friend's favourite food.  Finally, the other place opened, so we all scurried out towards the restaurant.  The lady serving us was really nice, and walked us through the menu patiently.  By then we were all so hungry that we just ordered one of everything that they had.  It was funny, because even though the menu was pretty big, they are not always available.

Happy quarter century to me~

This is a really delayed birthday post, as it was on February 26th. Just wanted to [pen] this event in so I can go back and read it, maybe.

It was a rainy day in Raincouver (what's new?), and I had a casual dinner planned at Cafe de l'Orangerie with a couple of my close friends and boyfriend. Originally I had a personal training session at the gym, but my trainer cancelled on me. Futhermore, the boyfriend insisted that we do something, even if it's a dinner, even though I was reluctant to celebrate (see last year's birthday post). Cafe de l'Orangerie is a cute little Japanese/Italian fusion cafe tucked away in the Marpole area at Granville and 70th ave. I highly recommend their desserts, especially the matcha pudding and matcha roll cake

Acne troubles (what's new)

So I've never dealt with major acne until I started university. Now they seem to be permanent residents on my face. WHYYYY???  I thought that I could handle it if I fancied up my skin care routine from the "slap face with water morning and night" and added an actual cleanser, toner, and moisturizer. Now I have a cabinet full of half-used goo (I'm thinking of Jennamarbles), and still a face full of acne. I finally got fed up with it (6+ years later) that I decided to see my family doctor about it, hoping that I could get referred to a dermatologist...

I'm a P.T. killer...

P.T. = personal trainer.  As an attempt to change my life pattern of work-computer-sleep and repeat, I decided to try out the gym/workout scene (which is pretty big in Vancouver). How it all started was pretty amusing, so I'll share.  I was at Konbiniya (a Japanese convenient store in downtown Robson) with some friends and was having my usual Nutella-banana mochi crepe (highly recommend~), when I saw a contest to win ski session tickets/8 free days at [gym name]. Just for the heck of it, I put my ballot in. What were the chances that I'd win, anyways?...